Rural Americans fight to keep local hospitals open amid closure fears
Community members fear losing nearby care as a state report flags 13 rural hospitals at risk and national analysts count 700 vulnerable facilities.
- Cyliene Montgomery gathered neighbors in South Hill to discuss concerns about VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital, one of 13 rural Virginia facilities flagged as at-risk of closure in a recent General Assembly report.
- An analysis by the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform found 700 rural hospitals nationwide at risk of closing as of July 2026, with 53 facilities eliminating inpatient services entirely since 2023.
- VCU Health official Marlon Levy insists the South Hill campus will not close, stressing its integration within the larger system, while Lunenburg County resident Patricia Harper-Tunley noted the area is "a Uber desert, a Lyft desert... but when an emergency hits, South Hill is the closest thing to us."
- Mobile GOHOSPITAL units will debut this week at the IDGA Veterans Healthcare Summit in Maryland, equipped with advanced diagnostic tools and funded by ARPA-H to deliver specialized care to underserved rural communities.
- James L. McCormick II, executive director for government affairs at Vietnam Veterans of America, supports the initiative, noting "anything that brings reliable and functional assistance to our veterans in rural America should be something everyone can support," with deployment expected in late 2026.
17 Articles
17 Articles
As rural hospitals disappear nationwide, nurses say Medicare for All is only hope
STURGIS, Mich.—For 101 years, Sturgis Hospital stood as a cornerstone of healthcare in southwest Michigan. But on June 19, the doors closed for good. It is but the latest casualty in a decades-long assault on public health infrastructure and an economic system that prioritizes profits over people. The closure came with staff being given a […]
Facing financial headwinds, rural Arkansas hospitals turn to partnerships - The Mexico Ledger
The UAMS medical sciences campus on Markham Street in Little Rock. (Photo by John Sykes/Arkansas Advocate)Arkansas’ largest state-funded healthcare institution recently partnered with two rural hospitals in an effort to improve care, a move that health leaders say could provide a model for providers facing financial strain. It’s one way hospitals statewide and nationwide are adapting to an increasingly difficult healthcare landscape that has for…
arkansasadvocate.com
Arkansas TimesFacing financial headwinds, rural Arkansas hospitals turn to partnerships
The UAMS medical sciences campus on Markham Street in Little Rock. (Photo by John Sykes/Arkansas Advocate)Arkansas’ largest state-funded healthcare institution recently partnered with two rural hospitals in an effort to improve care, a move that health leaders say could provide a model for providers facing financial strain. It’s one way hospitals statewide and nationwide are adapting to an increasingly difficult healthcare landscape that has for…
Earlier lifeline for rural hospitals faces test under ‘Big Beautiful’ law
Photo by Jack Yen Joy Photography/Getty ImagesA century-old hospital near Michigan’s southern border was one of the nation’s first to convert into a new emergency-focused model Congress created to save rural care. Afterward, though, use of Sturgis Hospital’s emergency department fell, according to data collected at the state level. In June, three years after taking the federal lifeline, the hospital closed, leaving residents of Sturgis, a town o…
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